Love hula, love Hawaii Essay

Mele Kalikimaka is the thing to say on a bright Hawaiian Christmas Day That’s the island greeting that we send to you from the land where palm trees sway Here we know that Christmas will be green and bright The sun to shine by day and all the stars at night Mele Kalikimaka is Hawaii’s way to say Merry Christmas to you [1] (Robert Alex Anderson) If ask people a question that which place has the most beautiful beach, sunshine and full of enthusiasm, I think most people will have the same answer, Hawaii. As we all know, Hawaii is the most famous holiday resort in the world, people who are from all over the world come here to enjoy the beautiful scenery, watch the hula dance and eat delicious food. However, people should also know the culture, which are the symbols of Hawaii, such as hula, chant and mele. If you’ve ever been to Hawaii or see some shows about it, you have undoubtedly enjoyed the exotic, hip-swaying dance called â€Å"hula.† Beautiful island women and men â€Å"act out† the music through dance steps to tell stories, particularly their graceful arm movements. Hula was developed in the Hawaiian Islands by the Polynesians who originally settled there. When Captain Cook arrived in Hawaii in 1779, the Hawaiian people had been dancing hula for centuries. Hula was danced as part of a religious program in the old days. Then, when the missionaries arrived in the 1830’s, they convinced Queen Kaahumanu to prohibit hula because they thought hula was erotic. â€Å"It was described like this – â€Å"The natives would practice in the hot sun for days on end. Drums pounded, gourds rattled, singers chanted, and hundreds of dancers wearing garlands of green leaves and flowers and dog-tooth anklets moved endlessly to and fro in lines, their brown skin glistening with sweat, with no sign of boredom or tiredness,† (Daws, 1968)†[2] And hula was popular after King Kalakaua made it opened in the 1870’s. Today Hawaiian dance has an added political dimension in that knowledge and understanding of this cultural form are valued as an ingredient of ethnic identity (Adrienne Kaeppler 1993:234). â€Å"Dance as part of a political construction, can be an aural and visual statement of distinctiveness – and in some cases divisiveness –and need not be associated with cultural understanding. More ethnic Hawaiians are beginning to appreciate and champion the importance of their heritage. More and more Hawaiians – male and female – are studying hula in order to become part of the ethnic movement.†[3] As I know, native Hawaiians know the importance of hula and treat it as their pride. The government also pays attention on hula and advertises the culture of hula. Mele is perhaps the most important cultural symbol of the Hawaiians. â€Å"It is the way ancient Hawaiians prayed and passed on legends and lore, linking their prehistory with their present life.†[4] I still remember when I first heard the melody of Hawaii song; I can felt the enthusiasm of this island immediately. For example, â€Å"Mele Kalikimaka† is a Hawaiian themed Christmas song written in 1949 by Robert Alex Anderson, when I hear the lively music, I would be relaxed. â€Å"Everything because hula is the unique dance of the Hawaiian people. Everything because despite the homogenizing influence of hula competition, which has brought only a limited range of the vast hula repertoire to the public’s attention over the past thirty-five years, hula encompasses many different styles and types of dances. But it says nothing because hula simply cannot be reduced to Hawaiian folk dance. It carries forward the social and natural history, the religious beliefs, the philosophy, the literature, and the scientific knowledge of the Hawaiian people.† [5] I think hula carries a lot of things, such as the religious beliefs, the social and natural history of Hawaii, the literature and philosophy, and Hawaiians and hula are inextricably fused. In conclusion, hula is an indispensable part of Hawaii and also treated as an important culture of the world. For me, Hawaii is the place I will go someday, I am sure I will love Hawaii and it’s culture while enjoy the beautiful scenery and ebullient show. References: 1. The lyrics of â€Å"Mele Kalikimaka† by Robert Alex Anderson 2. A brief history of hula. Retrieved from http://library.thinkquest.org/J0110077/hulahistory.htm 3. Torgersen, E. H. (June 2010). The social meanings of hula. University of Bergen. Retrieved from http://pacific.uib.no/people/Torgersen/The Social meanings of hula.pdf 4. Fellezs, K. (Spring 2007). Performing hawaiian. New York: Brooklyn College of the City University. Retrieved from http://depthome.brooklyn.cuny.edu/isam/NewsletS07/Fellezs.htm 5. Rowe, S. M. (2008). We dance for knowledge. Cambridge University Press. Retrieved from http://muse.jhu.edu/journals/drj/summary/v040/40.1.rowe.html

Trader Joe’s

Economical, technological, demographics, economical, political, and socio-cultural trends taken into consideration by Trader Joe's and help lead to their continuing success. When it comes to economic factor, Trader Joe's has performed well in all economic conditions. The company performs well in a weak economy because they offer low prices. In strong economy the company offers unique products which help them perform well. Consumers are very price conscious, the are always looking for reasonable deals with healthier food. Trader Joe's carry quality products at reasonable prices which is rare. It has been seen that during economic downturn, people tend to shop more at grocery stores. When gas prices are high people have less disposable income but when gas prices are low they have more disposable income and are willing to try new items at grocery stores. Increase in income is resulting an increase in disbursal thus spending more on wide range of products which is helping Trader Joe's attract more customers. However, with the outstanding performances Trader Joe's adapted with the economic trends, they have shown slow progress in technological trends. The company is yet to adapt to new technologies trends. Trader Joe's does not utilize any social media platforms, applications, web based services, or loyalty programs. Since, self-checkout and advertising through mobile apps are getting more common the company has not taken these trends into considerations. Utilizing technological trends to advertise and connect with consumers may positively influence Trader Joe's. Demographic trends were taken into account in Trader Joe's strategy to note the population they are targeting. The population continues to grow and because the population is growing this means that it will have an impact on food consumption. Since, more and more immigrant move into the country it increases the population, and increase the needs and wants for food selection. Also, people in the current economy who are getting extra income chose to spend it on food that is organic, natural, and healthy for them. With competitive market, the trend is moving toward healthy products and low price options. The socio-cultural factors of health consciousness, population growth, and age all have an impact in the trends of food consumption, which directly affect the way Trader Joe's carries out business. The government not only makes sure food is safe but also if it is regulated properly. Legal and political trends have educated people about more sustainable lifestyles and healthier eating habits. The increasing consumer concern over the purity and safety of food has led to the demand for organic and natural food. Trader Joe's attracts consumers by offering quality products cheaper than its competitors. Trader Joe's has many strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. The company offers a unique shopping atmosphere will helps attract customers. The employees are seen wearing Hawaiian shirts and hand out samples of food and drinks to customers. Trader Joe's are known to have low turnover rates compared to their competitors because they offer good working conditions. The company prides itself when it comes to its employees. Trader Joe's employees help strengthen the brand and image. The company select employees who are positive, enthusiastic, and who help convey the company's image to its consumers. However, with incredible strengths that the company portrays, there are some weaknesses. The company's poor social media presence, lack of advertising, and limited product selection, has lead to concerns. Many opportunities can be implemented to overcome these weaknesses. Expanding advertising to social media outlets can help target new customers and potentially increase profits. Also, international expansion may be an opportunity for the company. Alongside opportunities that Trader Joe's can implement there are many threats that have surfaced. The company is faced with old and new competitors. One specific competitors of Trader Joe's being Whole Foods Market, who aim to have more accessible prices for their private label brands, target more price sensitive customers as well as health conscious customers. It is known that the Trader Joe's has been profitable. However, there is still some area of concerns. Using Porter's five forces Trader Joe's can better understand the competitiveness of their business environment. The five forces can help identify the company's potential profitability. The following will discuss Trader Joe's using the five forces model to determine how market forces may affect their company. Forces can help assist the companies to gain a broader picture of what affects the profitability of the organization and how to fix it. Also, by understanding the forces, Trader Joe's can shape these forces in their favor. Industry Rivalry – Competitive rivalry looks at number and strength of competitors. For Trader Joe's industry rivalry risk is medium to high since the number of competitors is growing. Several grocers have developed over the past years and having a low level of product diversity can also increase competition. Trader Joe's core competitors have large numbers of capital as well as economies of scale. Threat of New Entrants – Potential threat of new entrants is low to medium. Since there is extreme cost and capital requirements it is harder for other entrants to join. Finding cheap or health conscious suppliers would be difficult. Getting good quality food for cheaper price is hard to deliver but it is not impossible. However, a brand name like Trader Joe's which took many years to build, would be difficult for entrants. Also, given that Trader Joe's is a specialty grocery store, makes the threat of new entrants lower and because the company uses absolute cost advantages in many aspects of its business operations. Threat of Substitutes – There is a medium to high threat of substitutes products from other industries in the market since customers have a variety of other places to shop at. Although, supermarkets are gaining market share and similar products are found elsewhere, Trader Joe's has an advantages since they have their own branded products. Power of Suppliers – The power of suppliers is determined by how easy it is for your suppliers to increase their prices. Trader Joe's power of suppliers is moderately low. There is high competition amongst suppliers. Trader Joe's have an advantage because of their non-disclosure which makes it undetectable to consumers if they changed their supplier. Trader Joe's never disclose their manufacturers or suppliers hence it allows them to get a better deal with respect to its competitors. Power of Buyers – The bargaining power of buyers the ability in which buyers can drive prices dow or the quality up. Buyer's power for Trader Joe's is moderately high because of the large number of customers who have control over the price and quality of the products. Buyers are looking for the best products available but at the lowest price possible which can put pressure on the company's profitability in the long run. The more powerful the buyers, the higher the bargaining power of the customers. In order to continue its success, Trader Joe's needs to consider the following alternative strategies regarding the concerns facing the company, such the lack of advertising, the minimal selection of products, and lack in social media presence. The clearest strategy to implement in order to offset the lack in advertising is to create a effective advertisement by knowing the audience, deciding on a target location, planning a budget, thinking about the message the ad will send, and highlighting competitive advantages. Advertising in magazines, radio stations, or even television programs would be a good place to start. This strategy formulation will not only help Trader Joe's reach a large audience, but will attract new customers. If done correctly, advertisement can be a key investment for businesses including Trader Joe's. The second concern that Trader Joe's faces is the little selection of products which can be overcomed by testing new products at certain stores across the country. This can be done by studying competition, targeting ideal customers, researching the market, proper pricing, and developing a list of potential buyers. Having diversity in products is a key concept in maximizing profits. For example, Trader Joe's can consider providing its customers with healthier food items. Since, government regulations and society's are pushing toward healthy diets to help fight the obesity rates, people are more likely to pursue a healthy diet. Lastly, a crucial strategy formulation for Trader Joe's to consider involve incorporating social media presence in the company that can help diversify themselves from competitors. Creating official pages on social media outlets, is inexpensive and mostly free. Trader Joe's can promote from within which will help them better connect with customers and will allow them to advertise. Absence in social media has prevented the company from realizing its benefits that would come from online shopping. Its competitors such as Walmart and Safeway provide customers the option of online shopping on their application and web page along with in-store outlets. The company can create an app with flyers of weekly store sales, promotions, and online check-out options. Having a presence online whether it be a webpage or an application, will help provide the convenience of shopping from home as well as attract from traffic. The popularity of social media is a perfect opportunity for Trader Joe's because it allows them to become more active at minimal cost. The value chain analysis, five forces, and swot analysis help provide Trader Joe's an insight of the supermarket industry. The company's competitive advantage and current opportunities and threats can either help or harm the company's competitive sustainability in the future. Additionally, Trader Joe's can set themselves apart from their competitors by developing social media outlets, by increasing advertisement, and innovating new products in their stores. The company has successfully created a brand for its company using various strategy compared to their competitors. However, to continue growth Trader Joe's needs to implement the following strategies which will ensure competitive advantages. Without these planned initiatives, other competitors can easily purloin these strategies and move ahead of Trader Joe's. Trader Joe’s Economical, technological, demographics, economical, political, and socio-cultural trends taken into consideration by Trader Joe's and help lead to their continuing success. When it comes to economic factor, Trader Joe's has performed well in all economic conditions. The company performs well in a weak economy because they offer low prices. In strong economy the company offers unique products which help them perform well. Consumers are very price conscious, the are always looking for reasonable deals with healthier food. Trader Joe's carry quality products at reasonable prices which is rare. It has been seen that during economic downturn, people tend to shop more at grocery stores. When gas prices are high people have less disposable income but when gas prices are low they have more disposable income and are willing to try new items at grocery stores. Increase in income is resulting an increase in disbursal thus spending more on wide range of products which is helping Trader Joe's attract more customers. However, with the outstanding performances Trader Joe's adapted with the economic trends, they have shown slow progress in technological trends. The company is yet to adapt to new technologies trends. Trader Joe's does not utilize any social media platforms, applications, web based services, or loyalty programs. Since, self-checkout and advertising through mobile apps are getting more common the company has not taken these trends into considerations. Utilizing technological trends to advertise and connect with consumers may positively influence Trader Joe's. Demographic trends were taken into account in Trader Joe's strategy to note the population they are targeting. The population continues to grow and because the population is growing this means that it will have an impact on food consumption. Since, more and more immigrant move into the country it increases the population, and increase the needs and wants for food selection. Also, people in the current economy who are getting extra income chose to spend it on food that is organic, natural, and healthy for them. With competitive market, the trend is moving toward healthy products and low price options. The socio-cultural factors of health consciousness, population growth, and age all have an impact in the trends of food consumption, which directly affect the way Trader Joe's carries out business. The government not only makes sure food is safe but also if it is regulated properly. Legal and political trends have educated people about more sustainable lifestyles and healthier eating habits. The increasing consumer concern over the purity and safety of food has led to the demand for organic and natural food. Trader Joe's attracts consumers by offering quality products cheaper than its competitors. Trader Joe's has many strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. The company offers a unique shopping atmosphere will helps attract customers. The employees are seen wearing Hawaiian shirts and hand out samples of food and drinks to customers. Trader Joe's are known to have low turnover rates compared to their competitors because they offer good working conditions. The company prides itself when it comes to its employees. Trader Joe's employees help strengthen the brand and image. The company select employees who are positive, enthusiastic, and who help convey the company's image to its consumers. However, with incredible strengths that the company portrays, there are some weaknesses. The company's poor social media presence, lack of advertising, and limited product selection, has lead to concerns. Many opportunities can be implemented to overcome these weaknesses. Expanding advertising to social media outlets can help target new customers and potentially increase profits. Also, international expansion may be an opportunity for the company. Alongside opportunities that Trader Joe's can implement there are many threats that have surfaced. The company is faced with old and new competitors. One specific competitors of Trader Joe's being Whole Foods Market, who aim to have more accessible prices for their private label brands, target more price sensitive customers as well as health conscious customers. It is known that the Trader Joe's has been profitable. However, there is still some area of concerns. Using Porter's five forces Trader Joe's can better understand the competitiveness of their business environment. The five forces can help identify the company's potential profitability. The following will discuss Trader Joe's using the five forces model to determine how market forces may affect their company. Forces can help assist the companies to gain a broader picture of what affects the profitability of the organization and how to fix it. Also, by understanding the forces, Trader Joe's can shape these forces in their favor. Industry Rivalry – Competitive rivalry looks at number and strength of competitors. For Trader Joe's industry rivalry risk is medium to high since the number of competitors is growing. Several grocers have developed over the past years and having a low level of product diversity can also increase competition. Trader Joe's core competitors have large numbers of capital as well as economies of scale. Threat of New Entrants – Potential threat of new entrants is low to medium. Since there is extreme cost and capital requirements it is harder for other entrants to join. Finding cheap or health conscious suppliers would be difficult. Getting good quality food for cheaper price is hard to deliver but it is not impossible. However, a brand name like Trader Joe's which took many years to build, would be difficult for entrants. Also, given that Trader Joe's is a specialty grocery store, makes the threat of new entrants lower and because the company uses absolute cost advantages in many aspects of its business operations. Threat of Substitutes – There is a medium to high threat of substitutes products from other industries in the market since customers have a variety of other places to shop at. Although, supermarkets are gaining market share and similar products are found elsewhere, Trader Joe's has an advantages since they have their own branded products. Power of Suppliers – The power of suppliers is determined by how easy it is for your suppliers to increase their prices. Trader Joe's power of suppliers is moderately low. There is high competition amongst suppliers. Trader Joe's have an advantage because of their non-disclosure which makes it undetectable to consumers if they changed their supplier. Trader Joe's never disclose their manufacturers or suppliers hence it allows them to get a better deal with respect to its competitors. Power of Buyers – The bargaining power of buyers the ability in which buyers can drive prices dow or the quality up. Buyer's power for Trader Joe's is moderately high because of the large number of customers who have control over the price and quality of the products. Buyers are looking for the best products available but at the lowest price possible which can put pressure on the company's profitability in the long run. The more powerful the buyers, the higher the bargaining power of the customers. In order to continue its success, Trader Joe's needs to consider the following alternative strategies regarding the concerns facing the company, such the lack of advertising, the minimal selection of products, and lack in social media presence. The clearest strategy to implement in order to offset the lack in advertising is to create a effective advertisement by knowing the audience, deciding on a target location, planning a budget, thinking about the message the ad will send, and highlighting competitive advantages. Advertising in magazines, radio stations, or even television programs would be a good place to start. This strategy formulation will not only help Trader Joe's reach a large audience, but will attract new customers. If done correctly, advertisement can be a key investment for businesses including Trader Joe's. The second concern that Trader Joe's faces is the little selection of products which can be overcomed by testing new products at certain stores across the country. This can be done by studying competition, targeting ideal customers, researching the market, proper pricing, and developing a list of potential buyers. Having diversity in products is a key concept in maximizing profits. For example, Trader Joe's can consider providing its customers with healthier food items. Since, government regulations and society's are pushing toward healthy diets to help fight the obesity rates, people are more likely to pursue a healthy diet. Lastly, a crucial strategy formulation for Trader Joe's to consider involve incorporating social media presence in the company that can help diversify themselves from competitors. Creating official pages on social media outlets, is inexpensive and mostly free. Trader Joe's can promote from within which will help them better connect with customers and will allow them to advertise. Absence in social media has prevented the company from realizing its benefits that would come from online shopping. Its competitors such as Walmart and Safeway provide customers the option of online shopping on their application and web page along with in-store outlets. The company can create an app with flyers of weekly store sales, promotions, and online check-out options. Having a presence online whether it be a webpage or an application, will help provide the convenience of shopping from home as well as attract from traffic. The popularity of social media is a perfect opportunity for Trader Joe's because it allows them to become more active at minimal cost. The value chain analysis, five forces, and swot analysis help provide Trader Joe's an insight of the supermarket industry. The company's competitive advantage and current opportunities and threats can either help or harm the company's competitive sustainability in the future. Additionally, Trader Joe's can set themselves apart from their competitors by developing social media outlets, by increasing advertisement, and innovating new products in their stores. The company has successfully created a brand for its company using various strategy compared to their competitors. However, to continue growth Trader Joe's needs to implement the following strategies which will ensure competitive advantages. Without these planned initiatives, other competitors can easily purloin these strategies and move ahead of Trader Joe's.

Bringing Home Global Rules Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Bringing Home Global Rules - Term Paper Example As fundamental human rights and freedoms are inherent in all humankind and find expression in constitutions and legal systems throughout the world and in the international human rights instruments (Kirby, 2005), invoking international human rights law in domestic courts, therefore, merits special consideration. As Kirby write, "In most countries whose legal systems are based upon the common law, international conventions are not directly enforceable in national courts unless their provisions have been incorporated by legislation into domestic law. However, there is a growing tendency for national courts to have regard to these international norms for the purpose of deciding cases where the domestic law - whether constitutional, statute or common law - is uncertain or incomplete. While it is desirable for the norms contained in the international human rights instruments to be still more widely recognized and applied by national courts, this process must take fully into account local l aws, traditions, circumstances, and needs." There are many impediments for direct application of international human rights law, factors like state sovereignty, the dualist view on the relationship between international law and municipal law and implementing legislation. However, there has been an interesting development where jurist and human right activists are identifying themselves with a unified international community (Barak-Erez, 2004). This trans-judicial communication is seen not only in the application of international norms but also in the recourse to comparative law, particularly in the area of constitutional law.  When a treaty is ratified, although it becomes binding on Australia in international law, it does not become part of the law of Australia unless it has been given the force of law by statute (Gibbs). Except in the case of a treaty of peace, which obviously can affect the rights of enemy aliens, a treaty not incorporated by statute does not affect the rights or liabilities of Australian citizens. Although the principle has been consistently stated by courts of the highest authority, it is subject to some important qualifications. One of them was introduced by the decision of the High Court in Minister for Immigration and Ethnic Affairs v. Teoh. Ah, Hin Teoh was a Malaysian citizen living in Australia under a temporary entry permit. He was convicted of drug offenses and sentenced to six years imprisonment. His permanent entry permit was refused and it was ordered that he be deported. However, the fact that his children lived in Australia gave the case an interesting twist. The Court (McHugh J dissenting), considering the ratification of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, declared it the best interests of the children would be a primary consideration. Teoh's Case has been an example for many Federal Court deportation cases. Incidentally, it is the sole example of the pervasive effects of international law on national law. The A ustralian Constitution neither mentions international law nor the role such norms should play in the interpretive process (Williams and Hovell, 2005). While earlier drafts of the Constitution incorporated greater reference to the relationship between international treaties and the domestic legal system, these were removed from the version that was enacted.  

Fr Trd or Fir Trd Wht's th diffrnc Issus surrounding th WTO r mny nd Essay

Fr Trd or Fir Trd Wht's th diffrnc Issus surrounding th WTO r mny nd complx - Essay Example Undr CFT, mor thn 80% of U.S. consumr nd industril xports nd ovr hlf of U.S. frm xports to Cntrl mric would bcom duty-fr immditly. To ddrss unvn dvlopmnt nd trnsition issus, CFT spcifis ruls for lngthy triff phs-out schduls s wll s trnsitionl sfgurds nd triff rt quots (TRQs) for snsitiv goods. lthough mny goods would ttin immdit duty-fr trtmnt, othrs would hv triffs phsd out incrmntlly so tht duty-fr trtmnt is rchd in 5, 10, 15, or 20 yrs from th tim th grmnt tks ffct. Duty-fr trtmnt would b dlyd for th mor snsitiv products, nd in som css, th triff rductions would not bgin until 7 or 12 yrs into th grmnt. CFT is controvrsil nd fcs politicl uncrtinty. Supportrs hop tht CFT cn b prt of policy foundtion supportiv of both improvd intrrgionl trd nd long-trm socil, politicl, nd conomic dvlopmnt. Concrns rmin, howvr, ovr th ngtiv ffcts on crtin sctors nd mploys of th U.S. conomy, nd tht blncd outcom my b difficult to chiv if th FT fils to ccommodt sufficintly th djustmnt costs lso fcing crtin Cntrl mricn workrs, smll frmrs, nd othr groups. Th history som CFT countris hv of poor lbor rights nforcmnt riss qustions ovr whthr th lbor provisions will dqutly promot socil dvlopmnt. For ll CFT countris, th constntly incrsing US forign dirct invstmnt nd ccss to US tchnology combind with th incrsd duty fr ccss to th US mrkt rprsnt significnt bnfits. Morovr, th psychologicl ffct of th grmnt will ncourg mor ntrprnurship nd grtr job crtion in Cntrl mric nd th Dominicn Rpublic, which r ssntil to crting sustinbl dvlopmnt. Nvrthlss, CFT firms will fc strongr comptition from US firms undr th grmnt. Opponnts of CFT rgu tht only th wlthy lits of Cntrl mric nd th Dominicn Rpublic will bnfit from th grmnt, nd tht it will hv n unfvorbl impct on workrs, smll businsss, frmrs nd th nvironmnt. Thy furthr disdvntg of CFT tht th nt rsult of CFT will b n vn widr gp btwn th rich nd poor in ths dvloping countris. This disprity in conomic powr nd th rsulting conomic injustic hs bn th root cus of th politicl instbility tht hs inundtd ths countris historiclly. dding up ll trd bnfits, th Bush dministrtion rgud to Congrss tht CFT would offr support for strngthning dmocrcy in countris tht hv continuously struggld with stringnt intrnl politicl conflicts nd rgionl conflicts in th rcnt pst. To tk full dvntg of ths bnfits, nw World Bnk rport dviss countris to commnc complmntry invstmnts nd rforms to nhnc th grmnt's growth impct nd gurnt bnfits for ll. "Grtr trd opportunitis r ssntil to improving living stndrds in dvloping countris," sid World Bnk Prsidnt Pul Wolfowitz. Th grtr trd lvls will ris from th rmovl of virtully ll triff nd quot brrirs, consolidting th privilgd mrkt ccss Cntrl mric lrdy hs in U.S. mrkts through th Cribbn Bsin Inititiv. CFT should lso intnsify rgionl intgrtion mong th Cntrl mricn ntions thmslvs nd ncourg grtr lvls of forign invstmnt. It's importnt to rcogniz tht conomic growth is rsult of production, not consumption. Thus th logic of th "trd s forign id" rgumnt dictts tht CFT is intndd to promot th importtion of goods from Cntrl mric, rthr thn th xport of U.S. goods to th rgion. Th qustion wthr th Unitd Sttd of mric will bnfit from this multiltrl grmnt stys opn, but thr r som nsws tht cn bring you closr to undrstnding wht popl nticipt from this grmnt. Mny popl in th Unitd Stts r suspicious of fr trd grmnts. Thy r concrnd bout losing thir jobs bcus of imports

Victim Assistance Office and Organizational Structure Assignment

Victim Assistance Office and Organizational Structure - Assignment Example In addition, the services to be offered in the office will be discussed. Other aspects to be analyzed include associate agencies necessary for the success of the office, outreach programs, and how to seek and receive funds. The office will have three posts including Prosecuting Attorney, Chief Assistant, Counselor and an Office Administrator. The Prosecuting Attorney must have a law degree from the internationally accredited university. The Prosecuting Attorney will be the overall manager of the office and will thus be in charge of the affairs of the victims. Secondly, the Chief Assistant, who is subordinate to the Prosecuting Attorney, must also have a law degree from the internationally accredited university. The Prosecuting Attorney will work in collaboration with the Chief Assistant in meeting the objectives of the office. Finally, the office administrator will be in charge of administrative duties at the office such as handling of victim records and correspondence. Counseling services will be provided by the Counselor. Associate agencies will include police departments. The police will help the office in ensuring that suspects are arrested. In addition, the police, especially the FBI, will help victims to carry out investigations. Community organizations will also help the office in ensuring that crime victims are assisted in coming up with the challenges that affect them. The victim assistance office main aim will be to provide direct assistance to individuals who have been affected by criminal activities. The counselor will ensure that the traumatized, as well as, confused victims are assisted. After counseling, the prosecuting attorney will be required to provide referrals to effective agencies that will help the victim in understanding the justice system. In the current society, there is still lack of knowledge on what should happen after crimes have been committed (Doyle, 2008). The victim assistance office will help  in creating and disseminating understandable information to crime victims.  

Long-run Determinants of Exchange Rates Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Long-run Determinants of Exchange Rates - Essay Example There are several factors that are responsible in determining exchange rate in any country. Exchange rates show the value of a country's currency through which it can buy other country's currencies. Every country needs stable foreign exchange rate to trade freely. Exchange rate may get affected through various things. There are two regimes with respect to exchange rate which can either be fixed or flexible. In fixed exchange rate regimes, the currency rates do not move freely. However, in flexible exchange rate system, the currency rates are affected by a number of variables prevailing in an economy. The macroeconomic factors that affect exchange rates are variable by nature and thus play a great role in determining exchange rates. Governments and Central Banks especially utilize these macroeconomic factors to maintain a desired level of exchange rate in the economy. These macroeconomic factors may lead to great fluctuations in exchange rates both in short and long run. The factors t hat determine exchange rate in the long run include imports/exports, monetary shocks, inflation, demand/supply pressures, foreign reserves, economic productivity and government spending etc. The study of factors determining exchange rate in the long run is important so as to understand the reasons for which the currency rates appreciate or depreciate. This paper shed light on the factors determining exchange rates in the long run and evaluates these exchange rate determinants. It elaborates and gives comprehensive understanding of factors that can cause the value of a currency to fluctuate. DETERMINANTS OF EXCHANGE RATE IN LONG RUN Exchange rates greatly signify a country's overall economic position and trading prospects. These rates depict a country's position in terms of its currency's price with respect to that of the other. These are mainly the rates at which currencies could be bought and sold. Exchanges rates have a great impact on other economic variables of a country such as money supply, trade growth, imports, exports and interest rates etc. In the same vein, there are several factors that cause fluctuations in a currency's exchange rates. These determinants of foreign exchange rates may be external or internal and tend to play a great role in causing changes to currency rates. Some of these factors either take place in the short run while several cause exchange rate fluctuations in the long run. The rest of the paper elaborates and evaluates the various determinants of currency exchange rate in the long run. Exports and Imports Countries having fewer imports and more exports usually have high exchange rates. In the same fashion, countries having a lower tendency to export and have imports tend to have trade deficits. Current account surplus and deficit play a significant role in determining exchange rate of a particular country. The elements form crucial elements of a country's GDP. Balance of payment in the receipt side shows the trade surplus and thus puts the positive impacts on exchange rate while the balance of payment in the payment side reflects the trade deficit or loss which puts the negative impact on exchange

Compare and Contrast Country Lovers and The Welcome Essay

Compare and Contrast Country Lovers and The Welcome - Essay Example However, other issues that are related to the study of literary works such as style are usually the same. The thematic concerns that are centered in literary works are also mostly the same. These are the various factors that are discussed when looking at literary works. This paper will be a discussion of two literary works Country Lovers by Nadine Gordimer and The Welcome Table by Alice Walker. Focus will be on content, form, style and setting of the two literary works. These features will be analyzed so as to ascertain the rationalization that they have towards developing the themes of race and ethnicity that are common in both works. All these aspects as pertains to the two stories will be compared and contrasted. Both literary works, Country Lovers and The Welcome Table are short stories. They can be found in a number of collected anthologies. However, despite the fact that they are both story stories, they are quite different. While Gordimer’s story is long and quite detai led, this is not the case in The Welcome Table. This story is quite brief but still manages to pass the message that it was intended to. Through descriptive words, the author has still managed to come up with a plot that is interesting to follow. Therefore, while both literary works are short stories, one is long and much more detailed than the other. This is what contrasts the two literary works of art in terms of form. It also makes them quite interesting to study. ? ­ One aspect that is similar in both Country Lovers and The Welcome Table is the protest about racism; this is followed by the tragic human consequences that this practice comes with. Despite the fact that the stories are written based on the same thematic concerns, the context in which they are written is very different. Moreover, the way in which they are written and the emotional impact that they have on the readers are not the same. For example, whilst Gordimer’s story is written in South Africa when the apartheid regime was rampant, Walker’s story is set in the United States during the post civil war period. These were different historical times that occurred in places that are far apart and the experiences that the characters in this stories had may not have been the same. During the Apartheid system, the law, under the operation of the state was used to impose difficult living conditions on the non-whites in South Africa (Union of South Africa, 2012). This situation can be seen from the text, while Paulus went to school and lived in full comfort and sometimes even enjoying some luxuries, like movies, this was not the same case with Thebedi, she was supposed to do manual labor on the white man’s house with education being a secondary objective to her and the other black children (Gordimer, 1975). This was as per the law that ensured that there was a great disparity between the lives of the blacks and the whites. While this was the situation for the blacks, all wealth , economic and educational opportunities were privileges that were exclusively reserved for the whites in South Africa. On the other hand Walker focuses on the plight that the older rural based African Americans go through. This is through the life of complete slavery that they have been subjected to and they are still subjected to. Even though some reforms were made during the Civil Rights era, there is a lot of subjugation that the blacks

Operations management of the Virgin Atlantic airways Essay

Operations management of the Virgin Atlantic airways - Essay Example The intention of this study is an operations management as a concept that emphasises on the management of the process concerned with production and distribution channels of organisations. Operations management often deal with the internal environment of the organisation. The process of the operations management is totally dependent upon the nature of the manufactured goods along with the organisational processes such as retail, manufacturing and wholesale. Operations management, if implied with efficiency, can reward the organisation with enhanced competency and profitability on the whole. Operations management is implemented in every industry to maintain proper co-ordination in the organisational system. Hence, it can be said that implication of operations management can be highly beneficial. Operations management has a wide concept and therefore is quite complex to be implemented. This requires an effective and comprehensive planning. Virgin Atlantic is an airway services provider. Richard Branson had established this company in the year 1984 with a single aircraft. Presently, Virgin Atlantic is one of the leading airlines service providers. Virgin Atlantic also serves with global satellite stores, telecom services and air buses. The mission statement of virgin Atlantic is â€Å"To grow a profitable airline, that people love to fly and where people love to work†. Their services are far better as compared to the other airline services. They offered highly trained staff. Hence, the aim of this paper is to analyze the operations management of the Virgin airline services. ... Literature Review It is important to understand the concept of operations management. It is generally the business purpose which sets, coordinates, organises and manages the required resources that is needed by a company to produce services or goods. Operations management engages the management of all the factors such as personnel, technology, equipment, information along with the other existing resources. Thus, it is said to be the central function for every individual company (Scribd, n.d.). The practice of operations management is different depending on the category of the organisation. Organisations can be classified into two extensive categories and they are the service organisations and the manufacturing organisations. The nature and application of the operations management would differ according to the nature of the organisations. It needs to be noted that these two categories of organisations have two basic differences. The first one is that the manufacturing organisations ar e involved in producing goods that are physical and also tangible in nature and has storing facility whereas service organisations are involved in the creation of products that are intangible in nature and does not have the facility of storage which means that production cannot be initiated before time. The second point of distinction is that in case of manufacturing organisations there is hardly any direct contact between the operations and the customers. The only way of developing contact with customer is through retailers and also through distributors. However, in service oriented organisations, it is the customer around whom the service is centred and thus direct interaction between the customer and the operation is immensely important (Scribd, n.d.). According to Johnston

The amount of violence in films Essay Example for Free

The amount of violence in films Essay Prompted by some incidents of television and film inspired crimes, the issue of whether the government should control the amount of violence in films and on television has been a contentious discussion. Views on the topic vary greatly. Advocates claim that the practice of controlling the amount of violence in mass media is a brazen violation of the peoples basic right to know the truth of the world. For example, some films contain some violence, but they reflect the things happened around us. Rather than producing negative effects on audience, to some extent, these films educate them. Furthermore, violence in films or on television programs cultivates peoples senses of crisis and responsibility, which makes ordinary people and police work better for public security. Consequently, it is irresponsible and foolish to blame the media for violence in our society. However, opponents argue that violence in films and on television is detrimental to audiences psychology. Taking fantasy for reality, people become aggressive and eccentric. They believe things can be solved by violence. In addition, violence has negative impacts on the stability of society. Research findings reveal that 60 percent of crimes are committed by teenagers after watching films or television which had a large amount of violence. Teenagers are so vulnerable and immature that they cannot judge whether the activities performed in mass media are right or not. As an illustration, a boy killed his younger sister in Australia because he imitated the violent scenes from television programs.

Substance abuse Essay Example for Free

Substance abuse Essay Substance abuse is the manner in which the use of a specific drug is used that is outside the specified usage. For instance drug abuse, drug addiction and chemical dependency all point to the same i. e. abuse. Hence the use of drugs or chemicals outside the specifications prescribed by the doctor or the norms followed in society is all a definition for substance abuse. When someone uses drugs or chemicals in a manner that is not prescribed by the doctor, then, there are symptoms that mostly follow the use. They mostly vary depending on the substance used. The common types of a person who has an abuse on any substance are:†¢ There is significant impairment or distress in the person that will always show in a period of about 12 months; †¢ There is physical hazard to the user where for instance the person is supposed to operate machines; †¢ There is also failure to be able to perform specific tasks like at school or at work hence poor output that is one cannot fully concentrate. †¢ The person might also become an enemy to the law hence display oneself in a conduct that is not impressive to the society; †¢ Lack of control to the emotions or cannot be one who keeps good relationship with close family or friend; †¢ Alcohol causes sedation and relief of anxiety when used in high consumptions there is slurred speech, ataxia, impaired judgment, and disinherited behavior. The person in picture here being an actress in the SHERRYBABY has been portrayed as being a nuisance to the public and also to the workmates. This seen so because she has been in prison due to the use of heroin. In specific acts in her movie, she tries to also show the steps that any addict of any illegal substance might be able to follow. For instance in one of the movies she follows the track where an addict does i.e. her ability is totally shuttered when she portrays where she drops of a hat, she makes Sherry Swanson turn from sexual to vulnerable, violent to passive, indifferent to invested, self-assured to insecure. Through it all, she is endearing enough to win over even the most ignorant viewers the kind who shields their eyes when in real-life Sherry’s pass them on the street. Chronic alcohol consumption profoundly affects the function of several vital organs, particularly the liver and the nervous, gastrointestinal, and cardiovascular systems. Ethanol has direct toxicity. In addition, since it is a very weak drug that requires concentrations, thousands of times higher than other misused drugs (e. g. , cocaine, opiates, and amphetamines) to produce its intoxicating effects, it is often consumed in quantities large enough to qualify it as a food. Consumption of large amounts of alcohol increases the mortality rate of any consumer, though light to moderate drinkers have a chance of having between changing the habit or also increasing the chances too (Linda A.Mooney, David Knox, Caroline Schacht, 2005). Deaths linked to alcohol use are caused by the cancerous diseases, liver failure suicidal wishes and accidents when driving and the use of machines. In most cases, the drunken take this alcohol with an aim of forgetting their problems, some take alcohol to raise their sexual urge and ability to work. However, according to research, excessive abuse of alcohol does not help one to forget his or her own problems. This is a fact that most drug abuse victims do not have an idea about. In the Sherry Baby movie, this is clearly brought about when Sherry Swanson turn from sexual to vulnerable, violent to passive, indifferent to invested, self-assured to insecure. There are so many effects of the use of illegal substances but the following are the effects that are encountered by the user. They are: 1. Tolerance and physical dependence -The consumption of alcohol in high doses over a long period results in tolerance and in physical and psychological dependence. That is, the victim is not in a position to make independent decisions or handle a situation on his own. 2. Neurotoxicity- Consumption of large amounts of alcohol over extended periods (usually years) can also lead to neurological deficits. That is, some body functions will not take place normally. 3. Cardiovascular System: Alcohol alters the cardiovascular system in many ways. Heavy alcohol consumption of long duration is associated with a dilated cardiomyopathy with ventricular hypertrophy and fibrosis. 4. Blood: Alcohol indirectly affects hematopoiesis through metabolic and nutritional effects and may also directly inhibit the proliferation of all cellular elements in bone marrow. The most common hematological disorder seen in chronic drinkers is mild anemia resulting from alcohol-related folic acid deficiency. 5. Endocrine System and Electrolyte Balance: Chronic alcohol use has important effects on the endocrine system and on mineral and fluid and electrolyte balance. 6. Fetal Alcohol Syndrome: Chronic maternal alcohol abuse during pregnancy is associated with important teratogenic effects on the offspring. Therefore, pregnant mothers are not allowed to consume this substance. 7. Immune System: Alcoholics have a higher than normal rate of infection and are especially prone to respiratory infections such as pneumonia and tuberculosis. This is the reason why most of the cough during cold seasons. 8. Increased Risk of Cancer: Chronic alcohol use increases the risk for cancer of the mouth, pharynx, larynx, esophagus, and liver. Reference Thomson Wadsworth (2006) Understanding Social Problems; Wadsworth Publishing. Page 161-186.

Challenges Facing The Translator English Language Essay

Challenges Facing The Translator English Language Essay The personal pleasure derived from translation is the excitement of trying to solve a thousand small problems in the context of a large one. A translation obligates the translator to make a number of decisions so that a complete translation is produced. Such a translation must be written in a way which serves the same function as the source text and be culturally coherent between the source and target languages. In this essay I will discuss a range of decisions that the translator must make and making specific references to textual analysis, cultural mediation and some applied aspects of translation. The translation begins with the reading of the source text which allows the translator to identify the several key components which will form the foundations of the translation. The translator must do a detailed textual analysis so that the intention, readership and setting of the source text are identified. (Newmark P, 1988) I find this to be the first challenge that faces the translator as a number of decisions must be made to clarify where the translation will be published, who the translation is going to be targeted at; and what the function of the text will be. (Alfano V, 2012) Newmark (1988) states The intention of the text represents the source language writers attitude to the subject matter.For the translator, understanding what is meant by the author of the source text is vital as the attitude of the author will suggest the language function and setting of the target text. Bà ¼hlers theory of language functionality can determine a text to have an expressive, vocative or informative function depending on the core topic and status of the author. The challenge for the translator is to determine ones own status within the text in order to identify the language function. Newmark gives examples of the authors status being anonymous; he shows that this status can be used for an informative or vocative text depending on its main function. If the main function of the text was to tell the truth, it would suggest that the text takes an informative language function, whereas a text concentrating on the readership would suggest a vocative function. (Newmark P, 1988 ) During the textual analysis the translator must assess the readership; I consider this to be a particular challenge for the translator as one must try to assess the level of education, class, age and sex of the readership before determining it to be for an expert reader, uninformed reader or educated layman. (Newmark P, p.13) Depending on the readership the translator may need to pay more attention to the readers of the target text than that of the source text. A physical geography textbook aimed at an uneducated readership would use general vocabulary in order to aid the readership into understanding the text; The floor of the sea is covered with rows of big mountains, whereas for the educated layman, the translator may use topic specific vocabulary as there is an assumption that the context of the text would be enough for the reader to handle the key issues; The floor of the ocean is covered with great mountain chains and deep trenches. (Newmark P, p.p.13-14) The variation in style depends on the readership and setting of the target text. Newmark (1988) suggests using Martin Joos and Strevens stylistic scales when assessing the level of formality within the text. The final aspect of the textual analysis that I consider to be challenging for the translator is determining the setting of the target text in order to fulfil the requirements of the client. The translator must decide what the target text equivalent is for the source text, and then decide the type of language that must be used to suit the publication. For example, The Guardian newspaper is aimed at an educated upper-middle class readership; this means that the language used would be educated and written in a formal style. The translator in this example does not need to pay particular attention to the readership unless there are cultural discrepancies within in the text. This essay has referred to a number of issues that the translator faces before translating into the target language. Here, we can see that it is imperative that the translator makes the correct decisions whilst conducting a textual analysis in order to identify the key features within the text so that one can appropriately translate into the target language. Following the textual analysis there are further issues which cause concern for the translator. These issues come under the heading of cultural mediation; a translator must be aware that some expressions, professions and activities are not realised in every language, thus the translator must decide how to translate them. The translation of culture specific references poses a particular issue for the translator as some words may not be translatable, therefore the translator must employ the relevant translation method to suit the problem. During a translation the translator must ask oneself whether the words in the source language are transferable in the target language. The translation of cultural words such as les pieds noirs and les maghrà ©bins cannot be literally translated as they have no meaning in the target language. Cultural and descriptive equivalents can be used to solve this issue. The translator can give extra information in order to maintain a functional equivalency within the text. Descriptive equivalent: les pieds noirs ou les maghrà ©bins; 2nd generation immigrants originating from Algeria and North Africa. Cultural equivalent: les pieds noirs ou les maghrà ©bins  ; French Algerians (les francais dalgerie) Neutralisation: les pieds noirs ou les maghrà ©bins; black Immigrant    Newmark (1988) states that the translators role is to make people understand, not to mystify by using vogue words. thus literally translating the words may not be enough for the reader to understand what has been written in the text. le ministre de lintà ©rieur being translated as the minister of the interior holds no value in English whereas Home secretary or Director of homeland security is a known position to the readership in the target language. This is an example of using cultural equivalency in order to ensure that the Target text reader can understand the text. I will now discuss some of the applied aspects of translation. There are many fields in which a translator can practice ones profession; other than literary translation, one can work in an array of subject areas such as commerce, law and film. Even though the translators role is the same in every field, some challenges are presented to the translator more clearly in some practices than others. The translation of humour may seem straight forward in ones mind but the question must arise to the translator that some expressions and phrases that are funny in ones own language and culture may be different in another. Vandaeles definition of humour: Humour is what causes amusement, mirth, a Spontaneous smile and laughter. (eds Gambier Y and Van Doorslaer L, 2010) The translator must understand the catalyst which makes phrases humorous in the target language, so that one can appropriately replicate the effect of the source text. The translator must provoke feelings of positive arousal when enticing these emotive feelings from the readership; however a balance between fidelity and transparency must be maintained in the target language in order to receive the same humorous effect as one receives from the source language. (Vandaele J, 2002) How does the translator achieve this? There are a number of factors which make a phrase or expression funny. Often the topic, situation and presentation of a joke can evoke feelings of humour and could be seen as a branch of translating culture. Kopp J (2012) explains that current affairs play a big part in the context of humour and uses the example of topic based current affairs programs such as Have I got news for you, (by the BBC) to elaborate this: Alan Davies: Eight hundred Americans die in a McDonalds every year. Rich Hall: Which one? Best to avoid that one. (QI.wikiquote, 2013) The above quote shows that context is important in order to find the joke humorous. Even though it is possible that the presentation of the joke can affect the recipients perception of the joke, those living in the west are knowledgeable that America is facing a crisis in terms of the levels of obesity within the country. Alan Davies is portrayed to be giving a fact about the number of deaths that occur within the fast-food franchise McDonalds each year. However Rick hall plays on Davies use of the singular proper noun, a McDonalds, giving the impression that eight hundred Americans die in one particular franchise of the fast-food chain each year. Why is this funny? Kopp J (2012) suggests that the ridicule of a nation or group of people can evoke a humorous outcome; here, the emphasis on the death of Americans suggests a cultural elitism amongst those who are not of an American nationality, thus creating a humorous situation. She also states that the knowledge shared by the recipient is important as one that does not know of the situation on Americas obesity crisis or does not have knowledge of the McDonalds fast-food chain cannot readily understand the joke. The translator must understand that some communities may not recognize this because they do not have knowledge of the subject. Therefore the translator may add information to the translation in order to achieve the same humorous effect. [FR] Alan Davies : il y a 800 amà ©ricains qui meurent dans un McDo chaque annà ©e. [FR] Rick Hall  : Ça cest Vrai  ? On ne devrait pas aller du mà ªme McDo alors  ! Here we can see that all of the key elements from the source language remain in the translation as the audience of the target language are culturally aware of the situation created by Davies and Hall during their sketch. However the use of meme by Hall clarifies his point of not wishing to go to a restaurant in which 800 people have died. The next challenge I will refer to is the issue of legal translation. I find this to be an issue for the translator as one must show transparency in ones translation. The fidelity to the source text is no longer sacred as one must be even more conscious of the technicality of the subject matter. The translator must be faithful to the law and communicate it effectively, rather than concentrating on the translation of idiomatic expressions in the source text, the translation must remain transparent enough so that the message of the law remains clear whilst maintaining a functional equivalence to the source text. The requirement for legal translation is increasing due to an increased access for people and businesses to travel freely. This means that the law in every country needs to be translated so that there is access for people to read on the law of the country they plan to visit or work. This only becomes an issues for translators when legal conventions and government institutions do not have a cultural equivalent in the target language or that the running of the institution is governed in a different way to that of the same institution in the source language. (Riberi, 2012) thus the greatest obstacle in legal translation is the incongruity of legal systems between countries. (Ã…Â  arcevic S, 2000) This poses a problem when translating legal texts as there are a number of functions which a legal text can perform. However I find that the problematical legal text takes a prescriptive function; it is used to inform the reader about actions and sanctions that will occur if one does not co nform to a specific ruling. However, how does one translate a course of action that does not exist in the target language? Continental law does not prescribe the death penalty, yet a French holiday maker traveling to a country, such as Thailand, which does prescribe the death penalty could unknowingly be put under this sanction without knowledge of it unless the translator appropriately translates the term. Thus the translation of prescriptive legal texts is a challenging practice for a translator. Throughout this essay I discussed a number challenges that face the translator. Even though this essay has not explored all of the issues that face the translator, it gives a broad perspective on the decisions that the translator must make during ones practice and that the translator can sometimes be accountable for the reader not receiving the same effect from the target text than that of the source text. I have answered the question to what I consider to be the biggest challenges facing translator and I think the work to be done during the textual analysis is the hardest challenge that translator faces during ones work. The decisions which the translator makes during this time will affect the quality of the final translation. Thus making the correct decisions in the textual analysis is vital to a complete translation. A key theme shown within the essay is cultural mediation. The translator must assume what the readership knows and what the readership is culturally able to understand. When one is translating the text, the translator must make decisions to change the ideas in the text to suit the readership in order to evoke the same effect given when reading the source text. This concept is clear in the translation of humour as some cultures are not able to readily understand western humour, and therefore must be given an alternative discourse to the source text in order to maintain a functional equivalent; which is to evoke laughter from the readership. (Vandaele J, 2002) My final point on challenges for the translator is legal translation and this essay concludes on the difficulties that the translator faces when trying to maintain function equivalents between texts whilst coping with incongruent legal systems and maintain the fine between fidelity and transparency in the target language. The translator must make decisions when facing sanctions which are not realised in other countries and find ways to inform the readership of this whilst holding ones fidelity to the effectiveness of the plurilingual communication of the law. (Riberi J, 2012)

Lifestyle Incongruence :: Economy, Minorities, Poverty

The situation that places African-Americans along with other minorities at an economic disadvantage because blacks tend to earn less than whites which often force blacks to pick between paying rent or providing food to make it daily. The hierarchy of needs are not being meet psychologically is a stressor that can produce health related illness that can effect a community as a whole if no intervention are made. (16) In exploring the impact that cultural model on the African-American community, William Dressler and James Bindon case study entitled, â€Å"The Health consequence of cultural consonance; cultural dimension of lifestyle, social support and arterial blood pressure in an African American community. â€Å" In the case study, Dressler and Bindon focus on the areas of society, culture and individual health; cultural models, cultural consonance and cultural consonance; and blood pressure in the African American community. The first goal of this research involves determining if there are shared models of lifestyle and social support in the community. Two, determine what the separate associations of cultural consonance in lifestyle and cultural consonance in social support are with blood pressure. Lastly, determine if there is a synergism between cultural consonance in social support in relations to stress (blood pressure). In society, culture and individual health, Dressler and Bindon noted that, socioeconomic status refers to the position of the individual in a system of ranked status based on criteria that include occupation, income and education. (9). Social integration refers to the degree to which individuals report social connections based on marital status, membership in voluntary associations, and interaction with friends and relative. (10) In return, a lower ranking on socioeconomic status is associated with an increase risk of disease. Higher levels of social integration are associated with a reduced risk of disease. (11) Furthermore, being lower in the status hierarchy, or being socially, isolated, could conceivably be associated with a wide variety of factors from not getting a sufficient amount of exercise to perceptions of stress on a daily basis. (12) Perspective epidemiological research designs are fairly efficient at ruling out alternative explanations by taking into account (or controlling for) exposure to other kinds of risks. (13) Thus, numerous studies have shown that the risk of disease associated with status role positions remains unaffected by controlling for pre-existing health problems, obesity access to medical care, dietary patterns, smoking; drinking and similar sorts of factors known to have effects on health.

Credit and Collection Corporation :: essays research papers

Case Study: Credit and Collection Corporation Credit and Collection Corporation (CCC) is looking to offer stocks to a group of private investors. CCC manages and collects accounts receivables for three different types of customers. CCC uses a local CPA firm to prepare and given an opinion on its financial statements. To improve the favorability of the equity offer CCC has determined it needs an opinion on its financial statements from one of the Big Six CPA firms. The first type of accounts receivable CCC purchases are delinquent accounts. CCC reviews a company’s delinquent accounts receivables, removes problem and bankrupt accounts from the list and then assumes collection responsibility for the collection for a management fee of 30 percent. The second type of accounts receivables are current and delinquent accounts receivable. CCC reviews a company’s accounts receivables then pays the company 95 percent of the value of the receivables selected. Any uncollectible accounts are exchanged with the company for new receivables or are purchased back from CCC by the company. The third type of account receivables are payments due to hospitals, clinics and doctors from third party payers. CCC reviews the accounts receivables to determine the amount that the third party payer will actually be paying. The provider is then paid 95 percent of the determined value and CCC collects from the third party payor. For each type of accounts receivab le CCC generates dun letters and does follow-up collection calls. The first Big Six CPA firm spend several days interviewing CCC personnel and studying the financial data. The CPA firm determined they has serious reservations about revenue recognition. The CPA firm stated CCC was in the collections business and should recognize revenue only after accounts had been collected. The firm based its findings on concept statement number 5. Concept statement number 5 states an item must meet the definition of a financial statement element, the item must have a relevant attribute measurable with sufficient reliability, the item must contain information capable of marking a difference in user decisions, and the information must be verifiable, representationally faithful and neutral. Therefore, revenue should be recognized when realizable and earned. The firm compared CCC’s business to â€Å"real estate accounting rules required the deferral of revenue from a real estate sale, so long as the seller had any continuing involvement with the development o f the property sold.†(Corporate, 99) The firm did not think CCC earned its revenue until after it had sent out the dun letters, made the follow up calls and collected on the account.

Plato’s Objection to Poetry Essay

He was the first systemic critic who inquired into the nature of imaginative literature and put forward theories which are both illuminating and provocative. He was himself a great poet and his dialogues are full of his gifted dramatic quality. His Dialogues are the classic works of the world literature having dramatic, lyrical and fictional elements. According to him all arts are imitative or mimetic in nature. He wrote in The Republic that ‘ideas are the ultimate reality’. Things are conceived as ideas before they take practical shapes. So, idea is original and the thing is copy of that idea. Carpenter’s chair is the result of the idea of chair in his mind. Thus chair is once removed from reality. But painter’s chair is imitation of carpenter’s chair. So it is twice removed form reality. Thus artist/poet takes man away from reality rather than towards it. Thus artist deals in illusion. 1. Plato’s objection to Poetry from the point of view of Education: a. In ‘The Republic’ Book II – He condemns poetry as fostering evil habits and vices in children. Homer’s epics were part of studies. Heroes of epics were not examples of sound or ideal morality. They were lusty, cunning, and cruel – war mongers. Even Gods were no better. (Troy-Achilles beheding Apollo’s statue, oracles molested†¦ insults of Gods, Gods fight among themselves, they punish instead of forgiveness†¦Ahaliya-Indra, Kunti’s children, Narad’s obsession to marry, Hercules son of Zeus and Alcmene, Hera’s jealousy-snakes-fenzy to kill children†¦) b. Plato writes: â€Å"if we mean our future guardians to regard the habit of quarreling among themselves as of all things the basest, no word should be said to them of the wars in the heaven, or of the plots and fighting of the gods against one another, for they are not true†¦. If they would only believe as we would tell them that quarreling is unholy, and that never up to this time has there been any quarreling between citizens†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ these tales (of epics) must not be admitted into our State, whether they are supposed to have allegorical meaning or not.† c. Thus he objected on the ground that poetry does not cultivate good habits among children. 2. Objection from Philosophical point of view: a. In ‘The Republic’ Book X: Poetry does not lead to, but drives us away form the realization of the ultimate reality – the Truth. b. Philosophy is better than poetry because Philosophy deals with idea and poetry is twice removed from original idea. c. Plato says: â€Å"The imitator or maker of the image knows nothing of true existence; he knows appearance only †¦. The imitative art is an inferior who marries an inferior and has inferior offspring.†(Dorothea’s ideal in Middlemarch shattered, Kshtriya dharma – not to hit enemy without weapon, Tess’s providence, evil wins & God is silent, unrewarded virtue†¦) 3. Objection form the Moral point of view: a. In the same book in ‘The Republic’: Soul of man has higher principles of reason (which is the essence of its being) as well as lower constituted of baser impulses and emotions. Whatever encourages and strengthens the rational principle is good, and emotional is bad. b. Poetry waters and nourishes the baser impulses of men – emotional, sentimental and sorrowful. c. Plato says: â€Å"Then the imitative poet who aims at being popular is not by nature made, nor is his art intended, to please or to affect the rational principle in the soul; but he will prefer the passionate and fitful temper, which is easily limited †¦. And therefore we shall be right in refusing to admit him into a well-ordered state, because he awakens and nourishes and strengthen the feelings and impairs the reason †¦ Poetry feeds and waters the passion instead of drying them up; she lets them rule, although they ought to be controlled, if mankind are ever to increase in happiness and virtue Plato’s Objection to poetry Plato was the disciple of Socrates, a great poet, a mystic and a philosopher. He was not a professed critic but his objections are found in forms of speech and dialogues in The Ion, the Symposium & the Republic and the Laws. Plato’s three main objections to poetry are that poetry is not ethical, philosophical and pragmatic. (i) His Objection From Educational Point of View :- In ‘The Republic’ Plato condemns poetry (art) as cultivating evil habits and vices in children. As he thought that the description in the poetry is â€Å"Twice removed from Reality† and it is not dealing with real, practical world. So, he does not want his ‘future guardians’ to learn all such things that are mere imitation of imitation. (ii) Feedback to Educational Point of View :- Plato objected poetry on the basis of education, by saying that it cultivates evil habits and not practical. But it is not so about all the poems or all the arts. As at that time Homer’s epics were the part of studies and in them heroes were lusty, cunning and cruel dealing only with war and other things. Even the portrayal of Gods & Goddesses was imperfect as they were also depicted quarreling and fighting. So Plato objected arts (poetry). But he did not understand that poetry also has literal, allegorical or connoted meaning. (iii) Plato’s Disagreement on Philosophical Point of View :- Plato states that, â€Å"Philosophy deals with idea and poetry are twice removed from the original idea. So, Philosophy is better than poetry†. As it nurtures the rational impulses of human being and not the emotional, this is better than later one. He even says that, â€Å"The imitator or maker of the image knows nothing of true existence; he knows appearance only†¦ The imitative art is an inferior who marries an inferior and has inferior offspring.† In his Theory of Mimesis. (iv) Response to Philosophical Point of View :- Plato stated that poetry is away from reality and it is imitation only, but this imitation is not a slavish copy like a photocopy work, but a creative one. In response to Plato, R.A.Scott quotes that, â€Å"But though the poet creates something less than reality, he also creates something more.† This ‘more’ is intuition and perception which is essential to lead towards reality. (v) Plato’s claim of poetry against Morality :- In â€Å"The Republic† Plato said that, soul of man has higher rational and lower emotional impulses. Poetry waters and nourishes the lower impulses instead of drying them up. He calls it as â€Å"needless lamentation and ecstasies at the imaginary events of sorrow and happiness†. Plato being a moralist even objected male dominance and female exploitation. (vi) Reaction to Moral Point of View :- AS a moralist Plato says that poetry does not teach morality, but teaching is not the function of art or poetry. It is to deal with aesthetic pleasure only. Even by description of male dominance or female exploitation the poet has a good intention of provoking people against it and not to promote it. So, Plato opposed art in general and poetry in particular, but his most famous disciple, critic, scholar logician and practical philosopher- Aristotle and other critics and poets like R.A. Scott, David Daiches, etc. defended them on various other angles. Plato’s Objection to poetry Plato’s theory of Mimesis: The arts deal with illusion or they are imitation of an imitation. Twice removed from reality. ïÆ'Ëœ As a moralist Plato disapproves of poetry because it is immoral, as a philosopher he disapproves of it because it is based in falsehood. ïÆ'Ëœ Philosophy is better than poetry because philosopher deals with idea/truth, whereas poet deals with what appears to him/illusion. ïÆ'Ëœ He believed that truth of Philosophy was more important than pleasure of poetry. ïÆ'Ëœ Plato was the most distinguished disciple of Socrates. The 4th century of BC to which he belonged was can age of inquiry and as such Plato’s chief interest was Philosophical investigations which form the subject of his great works in form of Dialogues. He was not a professed critic of literature and his critical observations are not found in any single book. They lie scattered in seven of his dialogues more particularly in The Ion, The Republic and The Laws. He was the first systemic critic who inquired into the nature of imaginative literature and put forward theories which are both illuminating and provocative. He was himself a great poet and his dialogues are full of his gifted dramatic quality. His dialogues are the classic works of the world literature having dramatic, lyrical and fictional elements. According to him all arts are imitative or mimetic in nature. He wrote in The Republic that ‘ideas are the ultimate reality.’ Things are conceived as ideas before they take practical shapes. So, idea is original and the thing is copy of that idea. Carpenter’s chair is the result of the idea of chair in his mind. Thus chair is once removed from reality. But painter’s chair is imitation of carpenter’s chair. So, it is twice removed from reality. Thus, artist/ poet take man away from reality rather than towards it. Thus, artist deals in illusion. Plato’s three main objections to poetry are that poet ry is not ethical, Philosophical and pragmatic, in other words, he objected to poetry from the point of view of Education, from Philosophical point of view and moral point of view. It is not ethical because it promotes undesirable passions, it is not philosophical because it does not provide true knowledge, and it is inferior to the practical arts and therefore has no educational value. Plato then makes a challenge to poets to defend themselves against his criticisms. Ironically it was Plato’s most famous student, Aristotle, who was the first theorist to defend literature and poetry in his writing. Poetics: Throughout the Republic Plato condemns art in all forms including literature or poetry. Despite the fact that he wrote, Plato advocates the spoken word over. The written word, he ranks imitation on a lower plan than narrative, even though his own works read like dramatic scripts. (The Republic is written in dialogues form with characters doing all the talking).It appears as though his reasoning is that imitation of reality is not in itself bad, but imitation without understanding and reason is. Plato felt that poetry, like all forms of art, appeals to the inferior part of the soul, the irrational, and emotional cowardly part. The reader of poetry is seduced into feeling undesirable emotions. To Plato, an appreciation of poetry is incompatible with an appreciation of reason. Justice and the search for Truth. In the Ion, he suggests that poetry causes needless lamentation and ecstasies at the imaginary events of sorrow and happiness. It numbs the faculty of reason for the time being. Paralyses the balanced thought and encourages the weaker part of soul constituted of the baser impulses. Hence poetry has no healthy functions and it cannot be called good. To him drama is the most dangerous form of literature because the author is imitating things that he/she does not understand. Plato seemingly feels that no condemn drama from one source: a faculty understanding of reality. Miscommunication, confusion and ignorance were facets of a corrupted comprehension of what Plato always s trived for- Truth. Plato is, above all, a moralist. His primary objective in The Republic is come up with the most righteous, intelligent way to live one’s life and to convince others to live this way. Everything else should conform in order to achieve this perfect state. Plato considers poetry useful only as a means of achieving this state that is only useful if it helps one to become a better person and if it does not, it should be expelled from the community. Plato’s question in Book 10 is the intellectual status of literature. He states that the good poet cannot compose well unless he knows his subject and he who do not have this knowledge can never be a poet, Plato says of imitative poetry and Homer, a man is not to be reverenced more than the truth. Plato says this because he believes that Homer speaks of many things of which he has no knowledge, just as the painter who paints a picture of a chair does not necessarily know how to make a chair. His point is that in order to copy or imitate correctly, one must have k nowledge of the original. Plato says that imitation is twice removed from the truth. Stories that are untrue have no value as no untrue story should be told in the city. He states that nothing can be learned from imitative poetry. Plato’s commentary on poetry in The Republic is overwhelmingly negative. In Books 2 and 3 Plato’s main concern about poetry is that children’s minds are too impressionable to be reading false tales and misrepresentations of the truth. As stated in Book 2, for a young person cannot judge what is allegorical and what is literal; anything that he receives into his mind at that age is likely to become indelible and unalterable, and therefore it is most important that the tales which the young first hear should be models of virtuous thought. He is essentially saying that children cannot tell the difference between fiction and reality and this compromises their ability to discern right from wrong. Thus, children should not be exposed to poetry so that later in life they will be able to seek the Truth without having a preconce ived or misrepresented view of reality. Plato reasons that literature that portrays the gods as behaving in immoral ways should be kept away from children, so that they will not be influenced to act the scene way. Another objection is that it is often viewed as portraying either male: dominance or female exploitation people argue that this should not be the way the world works; therefore, it is not the Truth. These claims sound much like the claims that Plato is trying to make when he asserts that certain poetry should be kept out of the hands of children. While the power of censorship can be abused, Plato seemed to believe that his stance is justified because he is trying to make children grow to be good, moral individuals. While Plato has some very negative views on the value of literature, he also states the procedures that he feels are necessary in order to change poetry and literature from something negative to something positive. He does feel that some literature can have redeeming values. Good, truthful literature can educate instead of corrupting children. In the city Plato would allow only hymns to the gods and praises to famous men. Plato does not want literature to corrupt the mind; he wants it do display images of beauty and grace. Plato’s view may be deemed narrow minded by today’s society, but one must remember that Plato lived over 2000 years ago. He probably wrote The Republic with the best intentions for the people of his time. While his views on censorship and poetry may even seem outland today, Plato’s goal was to state what he judged to be the guidelines for a better human existence. 1) Plato’s Objection to poetry from the point of view of Education: a) In the Republic Book 2- He condemns poetry as festering evil habits were in children. Homer’s epics were part of studies. Heroes of epics were not examples of sound or ideal morality. They were lusty, cunning, and cruel war mongers. Even Gods were no better (Troy- Achilles beheading Apollo’s statue, oracles molested†¦ insults of Gods, Gods fight among themselves, they punish instead of forgiveness†¦Ahalya- Indra, Kunti’s children, narad’s obsession to marry, Hercules son of Zeus and Almene, Hera’s jealousy- shakes-Frenzy to kill children†¦) b) Plato writes:† if we mean our future guardians to regard the habit of quarreling among themselves as of all things the bests, no word should be said to them of the wars in the heaven or of the plots and fighting of the gods against one another, for they are not true †¦If they would only believe as we would tell them that quarreling is unholy, and that never up to this time has there been any quarreling between citizen†¦.These tales (of epics) must not be admitted into our state, whether they are supposed to have allegorical meaning or not.† c) Thus, he objected on the ground that poetry does not cultivate good habits among children. 2) Objection from Philosophical point of view: a) In â€Å"The Republic† Book 10: poetry does not lead to, but derives us away from the realization of the ultimate reality- the Truth. b) Philosophy is better than poetry because Philosophy deals with idea and poetry is twice removed from original. c) Plato says:† The imitator or maker of the images knows nothing of true existence; he knows appearance only†¦ The imitative art is an inferior who marries an inferior has inferior offspring.†[Dorothea’s ideal in Middle march shattered, Kshtriya drama-not to hit enemy without weapon, Tess’s providence, evil wins and God is silent, unrewarded virtue†¦] 3) Objection from the Moral point of view: a) In the same book in â€Å"The Republic†: soul of man has higher principles of reason. (Which is the essence of its being) as well as lower constituted of baser impulses and strengthens the rational principle is good and emotional is bad. b) Poetry waters and nourishes the baser impulses of men emotional sentimental and sorrowful. c) Plato says: â€Å"Then the imitative poet who aims at being popular is not by nature made, nor is his art intended, to please or to affect the rational principle in the soul; but he will prefer the passionate and fitful temper, which is easily limited. And therefore we shall be right in refusing to admit him into a well-ordered state, because he awakens and nourishes and strengthen the feelings and impairs the reason†¦poetry feeds and waters the passion instead of drying them us; she lets them rule, although, if mankind are ever to increase in happiness and virtue. There are Plato’s principle charges on poetry and objection to it. Before we pass on any judgment, we should not forget to keep in view the time in which he lived. During his time: 1) Plato says that art being the imitation of the actual is removed from truth. It only gives the likeness of a thing in concrete and the likeness is always less than real. But Plato fails to understand that art also give something more which is absent in the actual. The artist does not simply reflect the real in the manner of a mirror. Art is not slavish imitation of reality. Literature is not the photographic reproduction of life in all its totality. It is the representation of selected events and characters necessary in a coherent action for the realization of artist’s purpose (Namesake: Jhumpa Lahiri and Mira Nair). He even exalts idealizes and imaginatively recreates a world which has its own meaning and beauty. These elements, present in art are absent in the raw and rough real. R.A Scott-James rightly observes:†but though he creates something less than that reality. He also creates something more. He puts an idea into it. He gives his intuition of certain distinctive and essential qualities. This ‘more’ this intuition and perception is the aim of the artist. Artistic creation cannot be fairly criticized on the ground that it is not the creation in concrete terms of things and beings. Thus, considered it does not take us away from the Truth but leads us to the essential reality of life. 2) Plato again says that art is bad because it does not inspire virtue, does not teach morality. But it teaching the function of the art? Is it the aim of the artist? The function of art is to provide aesthetic, express emotions and life. It should never be confused with the function of ethics which is simply. If he fails in doing so, he is a bad artist. There is no other criterion to judge his worth. R.A Scott-James observes: â€Å"Morality teaches art does not attempt to teach. It merely asserts it is thus or thus that life is perceived to be. That is my bit of reality, says the artist. Take it or leave it- drew any lessons you like from it- that is my account of things as they are- if it has any value to you as evidence or teaching, use it, but that is not my business: I have given you my rendering, my account, my vision, my dream, my illusion- call it what you will. If yours is any lesson in it, it is yours to draw, not mine to preach.† Similarly Plato’s charge that needless lamentations and ecstasies at the imaginary events of sorrow and happiness encourage weaker part of soul and numbs faculty of reason. This charge is defended by Aristotle in his Theory of Catharsis. David Daiches summarizes Aristotle’s views in reply to Plato’s charges in brief: â€Å"Tragedy gives new knowledge, yields aesthetic satisfaction and produces a better state of mind. 3) Plato judges poetry now from the educational standpoint, now from the philosophical one and then from the ethical one. But he does not care to consider it from its own unique standpoint. He does not define its aims. He forgets that everything should be judged in terms of its own aims and objective its own criteria of merit and demerits. We cannot fairly maintain that music is bad because it does not paint, or that painting is bad because it does not sing. Similarly, we can not say that poetry is bad because it does not teach philosophy of ethics. If poetry, philosophy and ethics had identical function, how could they be different subject? To denounce poetry because it is not philosophy or ideal is clearly absurd. 1) Plato’s Valuable Contribution to Literary Criticism: In spite of Plato’s prejudices against poetry and art in general he remains the first great philosopher of arts. His findings about the nature of imaginative literature and representational fine arts remain valid even today. He has laid the first foundation brick of systematic literary criticism. His valuable contributions are following: 1) According to Wimsalt and Brooks: In Ion, Plato has drawn our attention to two principles (1) being able to compose poetry is not the same as to give rational of it; (2) Poetry is not concerned with making scenic statements. 2) He is the first critic to point that literature represents in a refined version the raw material supplied by life itself. Poetry may be called imitation of recreation. But the basic fact is that it derives its subject from life itself and from the world. It cannot invent anything that is never observed. R.A Scott-James is quite right when he says: â€Å"To him we owe the first statement of the mimetic or imitation character of art.† 3) Plato also right in saying that the only aim of the poet is to please the people, though his disapproved and denounce of the poet on this account is not fair. 4) It was Plato’s insight that discovered for the first time that all the fine arts have common aims although they employ different media. Scott-James observes: â€Å"Having got thus far, we observe that he has discovered a real community between all the fine arts. A poet who makes a poem and a painter who points a picture are engaged in the same sort of activity. They do not us e4 the same medium, but otherwise they are engaged on the same task.† Thus, as a moralist, he made some errors but he gave some important starting points to judge literary art.

Interpersonal Communication Report

Core Assessment Portfolio Michael E. Szostkiewicz In fulfillment of course requirements for Park University CA104 Interpersonal Communication Fall 1 Term 2009 Interpersonal Communication Report MICHAEL E. SZOSTKIEWICZ SEPTEMBER 30, 2009 Interpersonal Communication Report Outline I. Prior to enrolling in this course, I felt that my interpersonal communication skills were adequate and effective. I have always prided myself on being an adept and able communicator; my vocabulary is diverse. I always make a concerted effort to annunciate properly. However, my experiences these last few weeks have left me with a laundry list of things I need to improve upon. Through the various exercises and tasks completed in this course thus far, I have realized that there is always room for improvement in my own interpersonal relationships, both personally and professionally. I feel the areas that I need to improve upon in my interpersonal communication skills are active listening, emotional control, and utilizing cultural differences of those around me. Even with the myriad of leadership and communication seminars and classes I have either attended or facilitated, I understand that we must constantly learn new techniques and reflect back upon what we have learned in the past to help better any future relationships. II. Main Points A. Active listening 1. Active listening is defined as the process by which a listener expresses his or her understanding of the speaker’s total message, including the verbal and nonverbal communication, the thoughts, and the feelings. 2. By using the five stage model of listening and applying it at home and at work, I will be able to build upon my current relationships and forge better ones in the future. The techniques of receiving, understanding, remembering, evaluating and responding are an integral part of our relationships and need to be practiced in every day life. B. Emotional control 1. Humans in general are very emotional creatures. Having the ability to control our emotions within our interpersonal relationships is a skill that is not inherent and must be learned and practiced to be successful. 2. As I am extremely passionate in everything that I do, I must sometimes pause and reflect upon my emotional connection to the matter at hand. While having and expressing our emotions at home may be a good way to communicate with our partners, expressing our emotions in the workplace may not be appropriate. C. Utilizing cultural differences 1. Understanding that differences in culture between co-workers can have a positive or negative effect upon the atmosphere of the workplace, we must utilized and embrace those differences to foster an air of acceptance of all colors, races and creeds. . Living in America and especially serving in the military, I have been exposed to countless different cultures. Every culture has significant ideals that can be learned from. Patience with and understanding of differences in thought, speech and mannerisms from diverse cultures can help me to be more appreciative of other people and their indigenous cultures. III. In summary, I have covered the three a spects of my own interpersonal relationships that I feel I need to improve upon. Understanding that all people are different and communicate differently I am able to recognize when and where my own communication flaws exist. First, I feel that I need to improve my skills in the area of active listening. By reviewing the five stage model of listening I am able to have more productive relationships at home with family and also at work. Secondly, in recognizing my emotions regarding various topics and knowing when emotional responses are warranted, I can be a better, even-keeled father, husband, mentor and leader. Lastly, reflecting upon the differences in cultures in the work place, I can help promote diversity and acceptance of everyone. IV. In conclusion, I have seen the areas of my interpersonal relationships in which I need improvement. In order to build upon my current relationships and having the requisite skills needed to create new relationships in the future the areas in which I specifically need to focus are actively listening, controlling my emotions and recognizing and embracing diversity. In order to be an effective leader and mentor, having these skill sets can only increase the value of my worth to my company while simultaneously improving the quality of relationships that I have both at home and work. While becoming complacent in my interpersonal relationships, I feel that I have lost a chance to fully understand the thoughts and feelings of those with whom I am involved. Recognizing my faults and working to better my own communication skills can only result in increased positive relationships. Michael E. Szostkiewicz Tania Balas CA104 Interpersonal Communication 30 September 2009 Interpersonal Communication Report Prior to enrolling in this course, I felt that my interpersonal communication skills were adequate and effective. I have always prided myself on being an adept and able communicator; my vocabulary is diverse. I always make a concerted effort to annunciate properly. However, my experiences these last few weeks have left me with a laundry list of things I need to improve upon. Through the various exercises and tasks completed in this course thus far, I have realized that there is room for improvement in my interpersonal relationships, both personally and professionally. I feel the areas that I need to improve upon in my interpersonal communication skills are practicing active listening, exercising more emotional control, and utilizing cultural differences of those around me. Even with the myriad of leadership and communication seminars and classes I have either attended or facilitated, I understand that I must constantly learn new techniques and reflect back upon what I have learned in the past to help better any future relationships. Identifying and examining the elements and process of interpersonal communication is the first step in understanding who I am and where I place in the communicative world. Joseph A. DeVito states that in the circular nature of interpersonal communication; both persons send messages simultaneously rather than in a linear sequence where communication bounces back and forth between two or more people. DeVito further explains that the ideals that are present in all interpersonal interactions are: source-receiver, encoding-decoding, messages, channels, noise, context, ethics, and competence (DeVito, 9-15). Understanding that people are unique individuals who converse differently is a primary lesson in becoming a better communicator. The best way to describe how a person’s self-image or self-concept influences their ability to interact with those with whom they come in contact is that every person has a separate and distinct background whereby the environment in which they were raised as children and their varied experiences as young adults may affect their ability to effectively communicate. Recognizing and understanding that all forms of communication play a specific role in our interactions as adults and how we relate to each other must be understood and practiced in order to have successful and meaningful relationships both personally and professionally. This is also an example of how a person’s perceptions can influence their communication choices. DeVito continues by defining perception as the process by which you become aware of objects, events, and especially people through your own senses: sight, smell, taste, touch, and hearing (DeVito 61). As we take an active part in life, our perceptions about the people and the world around us are in a constant state of flux. If we remain stagnant in our relationships then we are bound to miss out on many of the opportunities provided to us to better ourselves. Realizing that I have many things to learn about my own communication skills is the first step toward becoming a person as a whole. The first hurdle on my interpersonal communication task list is to improve my active listening. Active listening is defined as the process by which a listener expresses his or her understanding of the speaker’s total message, including the verbal and nonverbal communication, the thoughts, and the feelings. Active listening is a concept that was developed by Thomas Gordon (1975) in the early 1960’s as the foundation of his Parent Effectiveness Training program which still continues to offer proven communication and conflict resolution skills to parents, teachers and managers from all walks of life (2009). DeVito states that active listening is not merely repeating the speaker’s exact words, but rather putting together your understanding of the speaker’s total message into a meaningful whole (DeVito 94). I have always considered myself a good listener. Whenever one of my seniors, peers or subordinates steps into my office for a chat, I always tell myself to devote my full attention to this person. I will turn off my computer screen, open my steno pad—which I often refer to as my â€Å"memory,† grab my pen and show the person that I am fully tuned into what they are discussing with me. Additionally, throughout this course I have been able to hone my skills as an accomplished conversationalist by using the three simple techniques of active listening: paraphrasing the speaker’s meaning, expressing understanding and asking questions. However, there are times when I get complacent and my skills fail me. One such instance of a breakdown in communication and an example of how language can create communication problems with disastrous effects was recently when I tasked one of my subordinates to research an instruction governing the proper wearing of maternity uniforms in the Navy. As a leader, I unsuccessfully delineated my specific instructions and by failing to use active and effective listening skills, my subordinate failed to receive the message properly. I also failed to ensure my instructions were clear and concise by neglecting to have him repeat back exactly what I wanted him to do. As such, this young man overstepped his bounds and mistakenly corrected the young woman on the spot which proved an emotional disaster (Student Journal 1-1). It was then that I realized the importance of removing any barriers in communicating and vowed to deter this behavior in the future. For me, personally, this was a poignant lesson for soon after this incident I received a homework assignment in this class to review an article describing how our words can affect those around us, and even more importantly, â€Å"If you manage people, your words have much more weight that you may realize† (Morgan 3). To correct the deficiency I consulted the five stage model of listening and by applying it both at work and also at home, I will be able to build upon my current relationships and forge better ones in the future. The techniques of receiving, understanding, remembering, evaluating and responding are an integral part of our relationships and need to be practiced in every day life. Another area of concern in my communication skills is the need to better control my emotions. Humans in general are very emotional creatures. Having the ability to control our emotions within our interpersonal relationships is a skill that is not inherent and must be learned and practiced to be successful. As I am extremely passionate in everything that I do, I must sometimes pause and reflect upon my emotional connection to the matter at hand. While having and expressing our emotions at home may be a good way to communicate with our partners, expressing our emotions in the workplace may not be appropriate. In the early phases of this course I realized the power of my emotions while trying to balance my professional duties with my duties and responsibilities as a husband and father while keeping the plates spinning simultaneously enrolled in two classes with Park University. I explained my frustrations, concerns and worries with my wife and also with my Brothers in the Chief Petty Officer’s Mess (Student Journal 2-1). After receiving sage guidance and wisdom from those with whom I have confided, I was able to begin separating my emotions from the equation and find the balance between work, home and school. As an adult, male military professional nearly 40 years old, I found it difficult to admit my fallacies, but once I did, I discovered that I am still able to learn many things from those around me. The last area of my communication skills that I found I need improvement upon is utilizing the cultural differences of those around me to add extra value to the tools I already possess. Understanding that differences in culture between co-workers can have a positive or negative effect upon the atmosphere of the workplace, I must utilize and embrace those differences to foster an air of acceptance of all colors, races and creeds. Living in America and especially serving in the military, I have been exposed to countless different cultures. Every culture has significant morals that can be learned from. An effective personal strategy that I have developed in my intercultural communication skills is patience with and understanding the differences in thought, speech and mannerisms from the diverse cultures that I have been exposed to in my travels and how those experiences can help me to be more appreciative of other people and their inherent lifestyles. In summary, I have covered the three aspects of my own interpersonal relationships that I feel I need to improve upon. By understanding that all people are unique and communicate differently I am able to recognize when and where my own communication flaws exist. First, I feel that I need to improve my skills in the area of active listening. By reviewing the five stage model of listening I am able to have more productive relationships at home with family and also at work. Secondly, in recognizing my emotions regarding various topics and knowing when emotional responses are warranted, I can be a better, even-keeled father, husband, mentor and leader. Lastly, reflecting upon the differences in cultures in the work place, I can help promote diversity and the acceptance of everyone. By utilizing these strategies I will be able to develop and foster a supportive communication climate. In conclusion, I have seen the areas of my interpersonal relationships in which I need improvement. In order to build upon my current relationships and having the requisite skills needed to create new relationships in the future the areas in which I specifically need to focus are actively listening, controlling my emotions and recognizing and embracing diversity. In order to be an effective leader and mentor, having these skill sets can only increase the value of my worth to my company while simultaneously improving the quality of relationships that I have both at home and work. While becoming complacent in my interpersonal relationships, I feel that I have lost a chance to fully understand the thoughts and feelings of those with whom I am involved. Recognizing my faults and working to better my own communication skills can only result in increased positive and healthier interpersonal relationships. Works Cited DeVito, Joseph A. The Interpersonal Communication Book. 12th ed. Boston: Pearson. 2009. Gordon, T. P. E. T. : Parent effectiveness training. New York: New American Library. 1975. â€Å"Gordon Training International. † September 2009. http://www. gordontraining. com Morgan, Rebecca L. , â€Å"The Power of Our Words. † Morgan Seminar Group. 1996. http://www. rebeccamorgan. com/articles/mgmt/mgmt2. html Szostkiewicz, Michael E. Journal, Week 1, Entry 1. 17 August 2009. Szostkiewicz, Michael E. Journal, Week 2, Entry 1. 25 August 2009.